Marlins get by Pirates

Baseball Betting Lines

07/04/2009 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Emilio Bonifacio went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to help the Florida Marlins take a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second game of a three-game set.

Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run for the Marlins, who have won four of their last five games. Andrew Miller (3-4) got the win as he gave up three runs on seven hits with a walk and four strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings of work.

Garrett Jones and Andy LaRoche each hit a solo home run for the Pirates, who have dropped three of four. Zach Duke (8-7) was tagged with the loss as he gave up four runs -- three earned -- on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts over six innings of work.

The Marlins got on the board in the first inning as Bonifacio reached base on an error by Adam LaRoche and, after Jeremy Hermida struck out, Ramirez launched a pitch over the left field wall for a 2-0 lead.

Florida plated another run in the fourth as back-to-back singles from Dan Uggla and Cody Ross was followed by a double play groundout by Ronny Paulino that plated Uggla for a 3-0 lead.

The Pirates finally got on the board in the fifth inning as Andy LaRoche led off the frame with a blast past the wall in left, his fourth home run of the season.

In the sixth, Pittsburgh made it a one-run game. Andrew McCutchen led off with a single and moved to second on Jack Wilson's sacrifice bunt. Delwyn Young then singled to center to score McCutchen and make it a 3-2 game.

In the sixth, Florida tacked on another run to make it a 4-2 game. Jorge Cantu led off with a double and walks to Ross and Brett Carroll loaded the bases. A wild pitch then allowed Cantu to score.

Pittsburgh again made it a one-run game in the seventh as Jones led off the frame with a shot over the right field wall, but Florida got the run back in the bottom of the inning on a double play groundout by Ramirez that plated Bonifacio.

The Pirates got a two-out double from Young in the eighth, but Renyel Pinto came on in relief and got Adam LaRoche to strike out.

Dan Meyer retired the Pirates in order in the ninth to pick up his second save of the season.

Game Notes

Ramirez has an RBI in 11 of his last 12 games. He had a 10-game RBI streak stopped on Friday when he went 0-for-4...Miller was 0-2 in his previous four starts...Duke is 0-3 in five career starts against the Marlins...Pittsburgh had won five straight against the Marlins coming into the game, including all four games this season.

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How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.